


Forever You and I

by Reality 2_0 (reality_2_0)



Category: Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 11:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8978584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reality_2_0/pseuds/Reality%202_0
Summary: set 2010; The possibility of losing him had her on the edge.





	

Again and again, she rubbed her thumb over her ring finger only to encounter skin where usually her wedding band would have been. The bare finger felt foreign, especially since she had anxiously toyed with the ring just over a few hours earlier on the way from Washington to New York.

She seldom let her nerves show, tried to be as composed as she could possibly be in every situation, calm in every crisis. But this wasn’t a world crisis, this was a personal one. While she cared about all people, her husband was closer to her heart than anybody else – with the exception of their daughter. So the possibility of losing him had her on the edge.

How she had gotten through the meeting at the White House without anybody noticing that anything was up, she didn’t know. She chalked it up to her years of practice. Whereas her husband wore his heart on his sleeve, she was more guarded by nature. In addition to that, the many years in the spot light had taught her to seldom allow her emotions to show, to always present an appropriate façade. That training had come in handy today.

Despite her desire to rush to her husband’s side, she had felt compelled to attend the meeting for the good of her department. If her colleagues, if the president had known what was happening in her private life at the time, they would mostly likely have kicked her out and/or considered her coldblooded, heartless. The latter could still be true after the fact, but she had proven that she wasn’t easily distracted and dedicated to her job and the administration. Now, she had to hope that this didn’t come at a higher price than she was willing to pay.

They had been waiting for her when she had arrived at the hospital for her husband had refused to be sedated before seeing and talking to her again. He had also wanted her to be the one to take off his wedding band for the surgery. His argument was that she had given it and thus only she could take it again.

The first time he had asked this of her, it had felt strangely like divorcing him – a feeling she was very uncomfortable with for whatever had happened, whatever he had done, she couldn’t imagine her life without him being her husband.

However, removing the ring hadn’t been up for discussion so she had done what had been required. For the entire time he had been in the OR, she had held on to the ring as if her life depended on it – and in a way it did. She had been very happy and relieved when she could finally put it back on his finger where it belonged.

Today, she had asked him to take her ring in turn as well. Surprise had been written all over his face upon her request, but one long look into her eyes had made him nod and pull the ring off her finger. As he couldn’t take it with him, they had strung both rings on her bracelet for safekeeping.

Whenever her thumb reminded her of the missing or rather relocated piece of jewelry – thereby officially distracting her from the file in front of her she desperately tried to concentrate on – she reached for the bracelet to assure herself that the rings were still there, still together. It seemed silly, and she felt slightly ridiculous, but she knew her mind wouldn’t rest until both rings were back in their places.

She turned quite a few more pages and stopped reading many a time before that happened.

Once they wheeled him back into his room, she gave up on even trying to work, instead took his hand in hers and started quietly talking to him. She told him about her day and about what was happening in the world, but she also spoke of her fears and love for him while caressing his fingers.

“I love you, too” were the first words he said after regaining consciousness. His voice was hoarse, but the words were clear.

Having been lost in reverie, she jumped upon his words.

He pulled his hand out of hers, reversed their positions, squeezed hers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She stood up and moved closer to the headboard to look him in the eyes. “It’s alright. I should have paid more attention. I just…,” she trailed off.

“Hey.” He reached up to stroke her face. “It’s okay. I’m sorry.”

Covering his hand with hers, she leaned into the touch for a moment before lacing their fingers and leaning down to kiss him softly.

“Don’t do that to me again. My heart can’t take it.”

She could see in his eyes that he was about to make a smart-ass comment but thought better of it. “I’ll do my very best,” he stated solemnly.

That was all she could ask for. “Thank you.” She kissed him softly before taking off her bracelet and dropping the rings in her hand. “Ready to give up single life again?”

“Are you sure you wanna have me?”

The twinkling in his eyes and the light tone took a lot of weight from what could have been a loaded question given their history of proposals and marriage troubles.

“Always.” She slid the ring on his finger, kissing first his hand at the very spot the ring now rested again and then his lips.

Taking the second ring from her, he put it back on her ring finger. He repeated her action of kissing the ring as if to secure it in place. “Forever.”

She wiggled her fingers and rubbed the ring, happy to have it back. Teary-eyed, she smiled at him. She needed to inform their daughter and the doctors that he was awake, she needed to read a few more files, to make a few phone calls, to check in with her staff, but she couldn’t tear herself away from him just yet.

“Sounds just about long enough.”

The world would have to wait a tiny bit longer. And judging by his expression, he agreed with her wholeheartedly.

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> By my standards, I should have marked this AU. I couldn't get the image out of my mind, so I ignored the lingering feeling that something was off and only did my research once the fic was finished. Anybody noticed? Yep, she doesn't wear a wedding band. So much for the plausibility of this fic... -.-


End file.
